Marketplace Tech (7/31/18) Hackers, probably Russian, successfully broke into electric utilities last summer. Homeland security officials revealed those intrusions for the first time last week. There were also reports last week of attempted cyberattacks on various members of Congress, and this week, the Senate is likely to have a showdown over funding for election security. There had been a White House cybersecurity coordinator who organized the national response to cyberattacks, but the Trump administration eliminated the job back in May. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Daniel Castro, vice president at the nonprofit Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, about…

  “How are they going to pay for this? Oh wait, that question only gets asked when it comes to social programs that benefit the working class.” — Twitter user By Jake Johnson Common Dreams (7/26/18) With the help of 139 Democrats, the House of Representatives on Thursday easily rammed through the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which—if it passes the Senate—will hand President Donald Trump $717 billion in military spending. “Of the total $717 billion, the bill would authorize $616.9 billion for the base Pentagon budget, $21.9 billion for nuclear weapons programs under the Energy Department, and another…

      By Scott Simon NPR (7/28/18) We live in times of instant mass outrage. Someone does something, says something, or is seen doing something, and they can be demonized with a click. The next time you might be tempted, think of this: In the fourth inning of Sunday’s game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs’ first base coach tossed a foul ball to a smiling youngster in the stands who wore a Cubs hat endearingly too large for him. The kid bobbled the baseball. What people saw next in video clips that zapped around…

  Democracy Now! (7/26/18) A new report by PBS “Frontline” has found the death toll from the water crisis in Flint may be higher than Michigan officials have acknowledged. The state has admitted 12 people died following an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease after the city switched its water supply to the Flint River in an attempt to save money. But according to PBS “Frontline,” the city also saw a spike in pneumonia deaths during the water crisis. Some of these deaths may have actually been caused by Legionnaires’ disease. Between April 2014 and October 2015, 119 people died of pneumonia in Flint—a jump of…

  By Sarah Smarsh Portside (7/27/18) In a dim corridor backstage, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders looked down at Kansas congressional hopeful James Thompson’s denim jeans and black boots. “Hey James,” Sanders said without cracking a smile. “Could I borrow your cowboy shoes?” Thompson took just a second to recover from the razzing. “I wear them because the shit’s so deep around here,” he replied. Through the thick cement walls of this downtown Wichita convention hall, we heard the roar of 4,000 Kansans awaiting speeches by Sanders, Thompson and progressive rocket ship Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in support of Thompson’s run for Congress. It was…

  By Jessica Corbett Common Dreams (7/26/18) In a letter to Brazilian Ambassador Sergio Silva do Amaral, 29 members of Congress on Thursday voiced their concerns about “an intensifying assault on democracy and human rights in Brazil,” particularly the incarceration of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the assassination of Rio de Janeiro city councilor Marielle Franco. The Intercept‘s Glenn Greenwald, an American who lives in Brazil, tweeted a copy of the letter early Thursday, summarizing that “its main argument is that democracy and human rights are being eroded.” The letter—spearheaded by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and signed…

  “Even if we act to erase material poverty, there is another greater task, it is to confront the poverty of satisfaction – purpose and dignity – that afflicts us all. Too much and for too long, we seemed to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things.  Our Gross National Product, now, is over $800 billion dollars a year, but that Gross National Product – if we judge the United States of America by that – that Gross National Product counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of…

  On Point (7/23/18) The Trump administration proposes major changes to endangered species attentions. Critics call it a “death sentence for polar bears.” Guests Lisa Friedman, reporter for The New York Times, focusing on climate and environmental policy in Washington. (@LFFriedman) Beckie Elgin, volunteers a lot of her time protecting gray wolves and their habitat in southwest Oregon. David Bernhardt, deputy secretary of the Department of the Interior, which announced Thursday plans to roll back core provisions of the Endangered Species Act. (@DOIDepSec) Rebecca Riley, legal director in the Nature Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, where she focuses…

By Elizabeth Dunbar Minnesota Public Radio (7/24/18) A group of utilities, state regulators and environmental groups released a report Tuesday showing it’s possible — with existing technology — for electricity generation in the midcontinent to be carbon-free by 2050. Relatively speaking, the electricity sector has done better than other parts of the economy in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Still, in 13 states looked at by the Great Plains Institute, 77 percent of the electricity comes from coal and natural gas. So, how do you get from 77 percent to zero? “Essentially that means more wind, more solar, more energy efficiency,” said Franz…

  By Shawn Johnson WPR (7/23/18) Two liberal groups that used online voting in an effort to narrow the Democratic field for governor won’t endorse any of the candidates after all. The groups Our Wisconsin Revolution and the Wisconsin Working Families Party conducted the votes as part of an effort they called “Wisconsin’s Choice.” During their previous round of voting in June, they identified four finalists: longtime activist Mike McCabe, Madison firefighter Mahlon Mitchell, former Madison state Rep. Kelda Roys and Alma state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout. But Wisconsin Working Families Director Marina Dimitrijevic says none of the four candidates received the majority…

Wisconsin Women’s Network (7/24/18) MADISON—-The Wisconsin Women’s Network (WWN) today announced the 2018-19 Policy Institute. The WWN is seeking passionate women to participate in the seventh session of the Wisconsin Women’s Network Policy Institute. Participants will build their advocacy skills, learn how to navigate Wisconsin’s legislative and administrative rules process, and apply their passion for improving the lives of women and girls in Wisconsin. Applications are being accepted now and the deadline to apply is noon on Friday, August 10, 2018. The Wisconsin Women’s Network Policy Institute provides hands-on leadership, communications, and policy advocacy training to a 25 women from…

[Editor’s Note: Cartoon of actual protest sign. — Mark L. Taylor, 2018] By Harvey “Sluggo” Wasserman Reader Supported News (7/17/8) The Manchurian Money-Launderer has just kissed every inch of his mafia don’s anatomy. The Donald has been washing Russia’s mob cash since the 1980s. The constant stream of ruble injections has funded his many bankruptcies. In 2016, GOP election thieves like Kris Kobach, Jon Husted, Scott Walker, Rick Snyder, Rick Scott (state secretaries of Kansas and Ohio, governors of Wisconsin, Michigan and Florida) and so many more turned Trump’s 3-million-vote loss to Hillary Clinton into a victory for the Russian…

  By Sabrina Siddiqui The Guardian (7/14/18) It was an ordinary Friday on the job for Pablo Villavicencio, a delivery man at the Nonna Delia’s pizzeria in Queens, New York. The father of two pulled up with a bulk lunch order at Fort Hamilton, an army base about a half hour from the restaurant. But unlike previous deliveries , this time Villavicencio, an undocumented immigrant, was arrested by federal immigration authorities and taken to a New Jersey jail. Villavicencio, 35, was fast-tracked for deportation despite holding no criminal record. Had it not been for intense media scrutiny of his case, Villavicencio might…

Days to the Primary:  21! The time for waiting is over.  We have less than a month to the primary and according to the latest Marquette Poll there’s still 36% of the population who are undecided. WE NEED THOSE PEOPLE!!! Please join your neighbors during our Days of Action scheduled for the next 4 weekends. Eau Claire Weekend of Action 7-20 People powered Billboards on Farewell & Main Street 7-21 People Powered canvassing (ward 31) 7-22 Lit drop any remaining houses we didn’t get to. Hudson Weekend of Action 7-27 PPBB TBD 7-28 People Powered canvassing (wards 9&10) 7-29 Lit drop remaining…